More than two in five top tourist attractions have increased their prices for 2002 - and by an average of 15%, according to The Good Britain Guide, out today.

More than two in five top tourist attractions have increased their prices for 2002 - and by an average of 15%, according to The Good Britain Guide, out today.

About half of all hotels, inns, B&Bs and restaurants have also raised prices, with the increases averaging 10%, the guide added.

But 53% of the 2,168 tourist attractions featured in the guide have held their prices for next year, while 3% actually cut prices for 2002.

About one in four eating places have cut prices, by an average of 17%, says the guide, which also features 36 formerly admission-charging attractions which will be allowing visitors in for free in 2002.

The guide shows that:

* About one in five places to stay in have cut prices - by an average of 17%;

* English Heritage has increased prices at its admission-charging attractions by about 8%;

* Historic Scotland, the Scottish equivalent of English Heritage, has increased charges in nearly half its buildings, by an average of 13%;

* But Cadw, the Welsh national heritage body, has increased prices in less than a third of its attractions and by an average of 8%;

* Prices at just over half of National Trust buildings have gone up, by an average of 10%, while the National Trust for Scotland has put prices up at about one-third of its attractions but by an average of 20%.

"We believe it is highly likely that price cuts will become more general in the next few months," said the guide's editor Alisdair Aird.

"Hotels, inns, B&Bs, restaurants and pubs, already straining to win back customers after the damage done by foot-and-mouth restrictions, will be fighting back against the effects on tourism of the World Trade Centre outrage.

"However, as always with the holiday industry, all too many establishments are apparently determined to swim against the tide ... and have stubbornly raised their prices."

Mr Aird said 2002 would be "a vintage year for holidays in Great Britain".

Among new attractions he picked out were Cornwall's National Maritime Museum, Leicester's National Space Science Centre and Glasgow's Science Centre.

* The Good Britain Guide 2002 is published by Ebury Press, price #14.99.